Finding the Way Home

Abstract

When I travel, whether to old or new locales, I like to go on “explores.” When I travel to a new place, whether it is urban or natural, one of the first activities that I enjoy doing is taking off just to explore my new surroundings. One problem with my explorations, at least in the urban environment, is that I have a great difficultly remembering street names. Having lived in the same small town for over 20 years, one would expect that I know the names of roads around my house. Sadly, I don’t. So, for giving driving directions in my home town or returning to my lodging in a new location, I use a series of landmarks to guide both my outward- and homeward-bound paths. Although there are no street names in natural settings, I use the same landmark navigation in the wilderness while adding in the location and direction of the sun to help me return home.